Waste disposal systems and methods

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods for collecting, storing, separating, and disposing of waste material from an oil and gas well site in order to enhance payload efficiency. An embodiment of a method, for example, may include introducing a waste material into an enhanced-payload mobile vessel positioned at the oil and gas well site, the waste material selected to include one or more of a sludge waste material, a solids-laden wastewater material, and a dry waste material. The method may further include transporting the waste material when positioned in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel along roadways to an off-site waste management facility. Additionally, the method may include dumping the waste material from the enhanced-payload mobile vessel by a site-based lifting mechanism into a receiving vessel at the off-site waste management facility thereby to dispose of the waste material at a reduced transportation cost.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/409,367, filed on Oct. 17, 2016;U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/440,826 filed on Dec. 30,2016; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/491,087 filed on Apr.27, 2017; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/571,515 filed on Oct.12, 2017. The full disclosure of these related applications are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The disposal of waste material from industrial sites, such as oil andgas wells or other industrial waste production sites such as factoriesor mills, presents unique challenges due to solid particles often beingpresent in substantially liquid waste. For example, drilling fluids mayinclude combinations of liquids and solids. The fluids may further becombinations of a variety of liquid materials, such as hydrocarbons,drillings muds, water, and the like. This fluid mixture also may containsuspended and dissolved solids, such as dirt, rocks, metals, and thelike and may contain materials difficult to handle or for which extendedexposure to human interaction is not desirable. Accordingly, wastemanagement typically involves separation of the solids from the liquidsat an off-site facility, for example, via a centrifuge. From there, thesolids can be compressed to remove additional liquids, thereby enablingdisposal of the liquids and solids separately. The transportation,separation, and storage of the sludge of waste material from the site tothe facility can present difficulties and significant costs.

SUMMARY

Applicant recognized problems associated with prior waste handling anddisposal systems and methods and provides enhanced systems and methodsfor handling, collecting, storing, separating, and disposing of wastematerials. In an embodiment of a method for removing waste material froman oil and gas well site to thereby enhance payload efficiency, forexample, a method includes introducing a waste material into anenhanced-payload mobile vessel positioned at the oil and gas well site,the waste material constituted to include composites of well site wasteproducts selected from one or more of a sludge waste material, asolids-laden wastewater material, and a dry waste material. The methodfurther includes transporting the waste material when positioned in theenhanced-payload mobile vessel along roadways to an off-site wastemanagement facility. Additionally, the method includes dumping the wastematerial from the enhanced-payload mobile vessel by a site-based liftingmechanism into a receiving vessel at the off-site waste managementfacility thereby to dispose of the waste material at a reducedtransportation cost.

In an embodiment of a method of removing waste material from an oil andgas well site to thereby enhance payload efficiency, for example, amethod includes introducing a waste material into an enhanced-payloadmobile vessel positioned at the oil and gas well site through one ormore intake ports positioned at a front end of the enhanced-payloadmobile vessel, the waste material constituted to include composites ofwell site waste products selected from one or more of a sludge wastematerial, a solids-laden wastewater material, and a dry waste materialso as to include both liquids-phase content and solids-phase content.The method further includes transporting the waste material whenpositioned in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel along roadways to anoff-site waste management facility. Additionally, the method includesholding the waste material in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel for aresidence time sufficient to allow portions or more of the solids-phasecontent to settle out of the waste material in the enhanced-payloadmobile vessel, such that the liquids-phase content is layered above thesettled out solids-phase content.

In an embodiment, a system for removing waste material from an oil andgas well site to thereby enhance payload efficiency, for example,includes an enhanced-payload mobile vessel positioned at the oil and gaswell site and positioned to receive a waste material constituted toinclude composites of well site waste products selected from one or moreof a sludge waste material, a solids-laden wastewater material, and adry waste material. The system further includes a tractor connected tothe enhanced-payload mobile vessel and positioned to transport the wastematerial when positioned in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel alongroadways to an off-site waste management facility. In addition, thesystem includes a site-based lifting mechanism positioned at theoff-site waste management facility and positioned to facilitate dumpingthe waste material from the enhanced-payload mobile vessel into areceiving vessel thereby to dispose of the waste material at a reducedtransportation cost.

In an embodiment of a method of waste material disposal, for example, amethod includes introducing a waste material into an enhanced-payloadmobile vessel through one or more intake ports positioned at a front endof the enhanced-payload mobile vessel, the waste material constituted toinclude one or more of a sludge waste material, a solids-ladenwastewater material, and a dry waste material so as to include bothliquids-phase content and solids-phase content. The method furtherincludes transporting the waste material when positioned in theenhanced-payload mobile vessel along roadways to an off-site wastemanagement facility. Additionally, the method includes holding the wastematerial in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel for a residence timesufficient to allow portions or more of the solids-phase content tosettle out of the waste material in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel,such that the liquids-phase content is layered above the settled outsolids-phase content.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In an embodiment of a method for removing waste material from an oil andgas well site, for example, a method includes introducing a wastematerial into an enhanced-payload mobile vessel. The method alsoincludes transporting the waste material to an off-site waste managementfacility, and dumping the waste material at the off-site wastemanagement facility so as to dispose of the waste material at a reducedtransportation cost. The foregoing aspects, features, and advantages ofthe present disclosure will be further appreciated when considered withreference to the following description of embodiments and accompanyingdrawings. In describing the embodiments of the disclosure illustrated inthe appended drawings, specific terminology will be used for the sake ofclarity. The disclosure, however, is not intended to be limited to thespecific terms used, and it is to be understood that each specific termincludes equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish asimilar purpose.

FIG. 1A is a perspective left side view of a portion of a system tocollect, handle, transport, store, treat, separate, solidify, anddispose of sludges of waste materials that includes a tractor and mobilevessel combination according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1B is a left side elevational view of a mobile vessel to collect,handle, transport, store, treat, separate, solidify, and dispose ofsludges of waste materials according an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 1C is a bottom view of a mobile vessel to collect, handle,transport, store, treat, separate, solidify, and dispose of sludges ofwaste materials according an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a mobile vessel to collect,handle, transport, store, separate, and dispose of sludges of wastematerials according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of a mobile vessel to collect, handle,transport, store, separate, and dispose of sludges of waste materialsaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a right side elevational view a mobile vessel to collect,handle, transport, store, separate, and dispose of sludges of wastematerials having a rear end door in a closed position according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a right side elevational view of a mobile vessel to collect,handle, transport, store, separate, and dispose of sludges of wastematerials having a rear end door in an open position according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is right side elevational view of a mobile vessel to collect,handle, transport, store, separate, and dispose of sludges of wastematerials having a front end elevated and a rear end door in a closedposition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a right side elevational view of a mobile vessel to collect,handle, transport, store, separate, and dispose of sludges of wastematerials having a front end elevated and a rear end door in an openposition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 8A-8D are schematic views of a mobile vessel having portionsbroken away for clarity and showing a graduated solids content of thesludge as the vessel is used as a constant-level settling tank forgravity separation of sludges of waste material therein according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8E is a schematic view of a pair of mobile vessels arranged inseries and having portions broken away for clarity, showing a graduatedsolids content of the sludge as each vessel is used as a constant-levelsettling tank for gravity separation of sludges of waste materialtherein according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9A is a rear perspective view of a mobile vessel to collect,handle, transport, store, separate, and dispose of sludges of wastematerials having a rear end door in a closed position according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9B is a front perspective view of a mobile vessel to collect,handle, transport, store, separate, and dispose of sludges of wastematerials having a rear end door in a closed position and an externalhydraulic power source and reservoir for operation of the rear end door,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10A is an enlarged partial perspective view of a front end portionof a mobile vessel to collect, handle, transport, store, separate, anddispose of sludges of waste materials taken along dashed lines 58 ofFIG. 9A according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10B is an enlarged partial top view of a front end portion of amobile vessel to collect, handle, transport, store, separate, anddispose of sludges of waste materials according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged partial perspective view of a rear end portion ofa mobile vessel to collect, handle, transport, store, separate, anddispose of sludges of waste materials taken along dashed lines 59 ofFIG. 9A according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view of a rear end door of a mobilevessel to collect, handle, transport, store, separate, and dispose ofsludges of waste materials according to another embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a left side elevational view of a rear end door of a mobilevessel to collect, handle, transport, store, separate, and dispose ofsludges of waste materials according to another embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a rear elevational view of a rear end door of a mobile vesselto collect, handle, transport, store, separate, and dispose of sludgesof waste materials according to another embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 15 is a left side elevational view of a mobile vessel to collect,handle, transport, store, separate, and dispose of sludges of wastematerials raised by a jack, where a liquids-phase component of the wastematerial is being drained through one or more valves in the rear enddoor, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a left side perspective view of a mobile vessel to collect,handle, transport, store, separate, and dispose of sludges of wastematerials raised by a crane, where a liquids-phase component of thewaste material is being drained through one or more valves in the rearend door, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a left side elevational view of a mobile vessel to collect,handle, transport, store, separate, and dispose of sludges of wastematerials raised by a crane, where a liquids-phase component of thewaste material is being drained through one or more valves in the rearend door and the rear end door is slightly opened to allow additionalwaste material to escape, according to another embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 18 is a left side elevational view of a mobile vessel to collect,handle, transport, store, separate, and dispose of sludges of wastematerials raised by a crane, where the waste material is being drainedthrough the opened rear end door, according to another embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 19 is a left side elevational view of a mobile vessel to collect,handle, transport, store, separate, and dispose of sludges of wastematerials raised by a crane, where the waste material is being drainedthrough the opened rear end door, according to another embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 20 is a left side elevational view of a mobile vessel to collect,handle, transport, store, separate, and dispose of sludges of wastematerials emptying the contents of the mobile vessel through the openedrear end door from a raised front position at a disposal site, accordingto another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method to settle solidparticles from a sludge according to another embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 22 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method to position thewaste handling system of FIG. 1 in a tilted position according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 23 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method to treat, separate,and dispose of waste material according to another embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 24 is a left side elevational view of a mobile vessel to collect,handle, transport, store, separate, and dispose of sludges of wastematerials having emptied the contents of the mobile vessel into anagitation pit at a waste treatment site, according to another embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 25 is a schematic view of a waste separation process according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The foregoing aspects, features, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be further appreciated when considered with reference tothe following description of embodiments and accompanying drawings. Indescribing the embodiments of the disclosure illustrated in the appendeddrawings, specific terminology will be used for the sake of clarity. Thedisclosure, however, is not intended to be limited to the specific termsused, and it is to be understood that each specific term includesequivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similarpurpose.

When introducing elements of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended tomean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,”“including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean thatthere may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Anyexamples of operating parameters or environmental conditions are notexclusive of other parameters/conditions of the disclosed embodiments.Additionally, it should be understood that references to “oneembodiment,” “an embodiment,” “certain embodiments,” or “otherembodiments” of the present disclosure are not intended to beinterpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments thatalso incorporate the recited features. Furthermore, reference to termssuch as “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” “side,” “front,” “back,” orother terms regarding orientation or direction are made with referenceto the illustrated embodiments and are not intended to be limiting orexclude other orientations or directions.

The disposal of waste materials, for example, from a well site, factory,mill, manufacturing plant, or the like, as will be readily understood byone of ordinary skill in the art, may be classified as the disposal ofliquids-phase content, the disposal of solids-phase content, and thedisposal of sludges, such as concentrated solids-phase sludges. Suchwaste materials may constitute components or combinations of a sludgewaste material, a solids-laden wastewater material, and a dry wastematerial, for example.

Waste materials originating from well sites, factories, mills,manufacturing plants, industrial sites, and the like may have variedcompositions of both solids-phase and liquids-phase waste materials. Forexample, waste material from a fracking site may include flowbacksolids, sand, salt, water, oil, chemical fracking solutions, groundminerals, and chemical components such as sodium chloride and radium,among others, as will be well understood by one of ordinary skill in theart. Fracking operations may also produce large amounts of waste water.Other waste production sites, such as oil and gas well sites, mayproduce oil-based mud waste materials, solid drilling byproducts, andwash water, among others. At industrial sites, waste materials mayinclude dirt, solids particles, machinery operations byproducts such aslube oils, wash water, metal filings, cleaning materials, scale,contaminated soils, treatment waste, and the like, as will be understoodby one of ordinary skill in the art.

Disposal of waste materials constituted to include differentsolids-phase and liquids-phase components may be disposed ofdifferently. For example, waste material that contains approximatelyless than 2-3 percent solids may be disposed of in an injection well asliquid waste. Moreover, waste material that contains approximately morethan 50 percent solids may be disposed of in a landfill, landfarm, orother long-term storage facility as solid waste. Yet, Applicants haverecognized that typical sludge treatment processes, for example, presentchallenges. For example, separation of solids and liquids is typicallyperformed at a processing facility by processing the mixture through acentrifuge, hydro-cyclone, evaporation process, or the like. Moreover,certain known methods may include intentionally adding solid materials,such as lime, to sludges to increase the percentage of solid materialsto enable landfill disposal. This process is often performed at crowded,remote well sites and further increases costs due to the purchase priceand transportation cost of the solid material, as well as the cost totransport and dispose of the resulting incremental waste volume.

Furthermore, Applicant has recognized that the disposal of solids-phasecontent of waste products may be significantly more costly than thedisposal of liquids-phase content of waste products. Yet, with theubiquity of solids-phase content in waste products produced at oil andgas well sites and industrial facilities, the necessity to dispose ofthe solids-phase content in an economically enhanced manner is apparent.Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towardseparation, storage, and disposal of waste materials by methods directedto improving efficiencies and reducing costs to producers.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods forthe collection, storage, separation, and disposal of waste materials.For example, in certain embodiments, waste materials may include wastesolids (e.g., solids-phase content, including dry waste material), wasteliquids (e.g., liquids-phase content), or any combination thereof (e.g.,sludges, including sludge waste material, concentrated solids-phasesludge, and solids-laden wastewater material) for separation, treatment,and/or disposal. In certain embodiments, an enhanced-payload mobilevessel includes one or more compartments to receive and store wastematerials, where the enhanced-payload mobile vessel is configured to beconnected to a tractor and an integrated vessel trailer, such that thecombined system can store and transport a payload greater than 13 tonswhile maintaining a gross weight within applicable highway regulations.

In some embodiments, a waste material constituted to include one or moreof a sludge waste material, a solids-laden wastewater material, and adry waste material may be introduced into the enhanced-payload mobilevessel via one or more intake ports positioned on a top, side, and/orend portion of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel. The waste materialpositioned in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel may then be transportedalong roadways to an off-site waste management facility, for furtherseparation, processing, and disposal of the waste material at a minimaltransportation cost due to the enhanced-payload of the mobile vessel.

Once at the off-site waste management facility, the waste material maybe separated into a solids-phase content and a liquids-phase content.The liquids-phase content may be drained from the vessel, while thesolids-phase content may be dumped from the enhanced-payload mobilevessel by a site-based lifting mechanism, such as a jack or a crane,into a receiving vessel, such as a stationary tank, a pit, or a tanktruck, positioned at the off-site waste management facility. The use ofa site-based lifting mechanism may avoid the cost and weight penalty ofuse of a vessel-mounted mechanical lift.

The waste material systems and methods described herein may allow forincreased waste material payload by virtue of the integrated vessel andtrailer system having an enhanced payload greater than 13 tons whilemaintaining a gross weight within applicable highway regulations, forexample 80,000 lbs., thereby decreasing transportation costs. Theenhanced ability to transport, separate, process, and dispose of wastematerial more efficiently may also help to lessen emissions, by reducingthe number of tractors needed for any given waste disposal job bydoubling the payload transported, in certain embodiments, to up to 26tons.

This reduction in vehicles may in turn reduce a number of driversneeded, which may also contribute to efficiencies and cost savings.

In certain embodiments, a mobile vessel includes one or morecompartments to receive and store waste materials. For example, wastematerial constituted to include both liquids-phase content andsolids-phase content may be directed into a mobile vessel. As the wastematerial flows through the mobile vessel, the solids-phase content may“drop out” or settle out of the waste material, and may rest on a bottomof the mobile vessel, while the liquids-phase content of the wastematerial may be layered above the settled-out solids-phase content. Thewaste material may be held in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel for aresidence time sufficient to allow such separation of portions or moreof the solids-phase content from the liquids-phase content. As a result,liquid flowing out of the mobile vessel may have fewer solid particlesthan the waste material that entered the mobile vessel, thereby enablingthe liquid to be reused as is, reused after further processing toachieve additional purity, or separately disposed of in an injectionwell or other water-treatment facility. Moreover, the mobile vessel mayaccumulate a concentrated solids-phase sludge waste material,constituted to include primarily solids-phase content, fortransportation to and later disposal at, for example, a landfill,landfarm, mix pit facility, or other secondary off-site waste managementfacility.

By draining the liquids-phase content for disposal or reuse separatelyfrom the solids-phase content, the added cost and labor associated withprocessing a waste material having both liquids-phase content andsolids-phase content, for example by use of a centrifuge or asolidification additive, may be avoided. In this manner, the wastematerial may be effectively separated at an off-site waste managementfacility. For example, concentrated solids-phase sludge may betransported to a landfarm or mix pit facility, where the concentratedsolids-phase sludge may be mixed with a sufficient amount of solidifyingagent to form a material capable of being managed and disposed of as asolid. The resulting solidified material, sometimes referred to as asludge cake, may be disposed of at a landfill or landfarm, or may betransported to an alternate off-site facility for use. In otherexamples, the concentrated solids-phase sludge may be transported to andprocessed at a plant with separation equipment such as centrifuges,filter presses, and belt presses, as described in more detail below.

FIG. 1A is a perspective left side view of an integrated vessel andtrailer waste handling system 10 connected to a tractor ortractor-trailer 90 to enable transportation between different locations,such as a well site or other industrial waste production site and anoff-site waste management facility. It will be appreciated that thewaste handling system 10 may include a connector 92 that enables thewaste handling system 10 to connect to the tractor 90, thereby engagingthe tractor 90 to enable the tractor 90 to move the waste handlingsystem 10 to a variety of locations. The connector 92 may allow forconnection between the waste handling system 10 and a variety of tractor90 types and sizes, to allow for compatibility between the wastehandling system 10 and various tractors 90.

The combination of the waste handling system 10 and the connectedtractor 90 may be limited to a maximum gross weight as dictated byapplicable highway regulations. For example, according to the U.S.Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations, the combination of thewaste handling system 10 and the connected tractor 90 may be limited toan 80,000 pound (lb.) gross weight, with any gross weight greater than80,000 lbs. necessitating special permitting for roadway transportation.As described below, the configuration, materials, and dimensions of thewaste handling system 10 may allow for an enhanced payload of 26 tons,in some embodiments, providing a 100% payload increase over existingwaste transportation containers capable of carrying a 13 ton payload,while still maintaining a gross weight within highway regulations.

In operation, one or more legs 74 extend for stability when the wastehandling system 10 is stationary, to maintain the waste handling system10 substantially parallel to the ground plane when stationary, forexample when the mobile vessel 12 is detached from the tractor 90. Theone or more legs 74 may additionally be retracted from the ground plane,thereby providing clearance for the waste handling system 10 to bedirected by the tractor 90. In this manner, the waste handling system 10can be easily moved between locations via roadways. In some embodiments,the system 10 may include or be integrated with a trailer to facilitatetransport of the system 10.

FIG. 1B is a left side elevational view of the waste handling system 10for separating, storing, transporting, and disposing of waste materials.In the illustrated embodiment, the waste handling system 10 includes amobile vessel 12 to receive the waste material, such as liquids-phasecontent, solids-phase content, or a combination thereof (e.g., sludgewaste material, solids-laden wastewater material, and dry wastematerial). Specifically, in some embodiments, the mobile vessel 12 mayinclude a base body having a base body height and an interior volumeformed therein to allow a waste material to be positioned within theinterior volume, the waste material constituted of both liquids-phasecontent and solids-phase content. FIG. 1C is a bottom view of the wastehandling system 10 for separating, storing, transporting, and disposingof waste materials.

As shown in FIGS. 1A-9, the mobile vessel 12 is integrated with a frame(or trailer) 14 including wheels 16 to enable ground transportation ofthe waste handling system 10, for example, via a tractor 90 or otherprime mover. As will be appreciated, the size of the mobile vessel 12and/or the frame 14 enables the waste handling system 10 to be movedalong roadways, such as highways and the like, to transport the wastehandling system 10 and any waste material positioned therein betweendifferent locations. The waste handling system 10 and tractor 90 may beconfigured to have a maximum combined gross weight within applicablehighway regulations. For example, in certain embodiments, the wastehandling system 10 may be approximately 3.6 meters (approximately 12feet) tall, approximately 2.4 meters (approximately 8 feet) wide, andapproximately 13.7 meters (approximately 45 feet) long. As shown inTable 1 below, these dimensions may be significantly greater than thoseof a standard vacuum box, for example, as is typically used for wastematerial transport and disposal. Furthermore, in certain embodiments,the mobile vessel 12 may have a capacity of 136 barrels (28.3 cubicyards). Furthermore, the mobile vessel 12 may have a weight ofapproximately 4,850 kilograms (approximately 10,700 pounds) and apayload of approximately 23,850 kilograms (approximately 52,600 pounds,or 26 tons). As discussed above, this payload may represent a 100%increase over the payload of standard vacuum boxes, as are commonly usedin waste material transport and disposal. The mobile vessel 12 may beconstructed of an aluminum or other lightweight shell material in orderto decrease the gross weight of the waste handling system 10. Bylimiting the gross weight of the waste handling system 10 and tractor90, for example with use of lighter materials and skeletal reinforcementframe 14 structures, the payload transportable by the mobile vessel 12may be maximized.

As shown in the illustrated embodiments, the frame 14 may be constructedto form a substantially skeletal or cage-like structure supporting andreinforcing the mobile vessel 12. The frame 14 may provide structuralsupport for the mobile vessel 12 in order to reinforce the mobile vessel12 against pressures from the waste material contents exerted on theinterior of the mobile vessel 12, as well as to stabilize and supportthe mobile vessel 12 for roadway transportation. The mobile vessel 12may be integrated with the frame 14, for example by constructing themobile vessel 12 and frame 14 from a single piece in some embodiments,or by welding a portion or the entire length of the vessel 12 to theframe 14 in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, the frame 14 may extend along a single elevationbelow and supporting a base of the mobile vessel 12, while in otherembodiments the frame 14 may include varying elevations. In someembodiments, the surface of frame 14 on which the mobile vessel 12 restsand to which the mobile vessel 12 is connected may be formed of asubstantially skeletal structure, in order to minimize weight added bythe frame 14. For example, the surface of frame 14 may include aplurality of parallel support members 76 extending from a first side ofthe frame 14 to a second side of the frame 14. The mobile vessel 12 maybe connected to the plurality of parallel support member 76, for exampleby constructing the mobile vessel 12 integrally with the surface of theframe 14 or by welding the mobile vessel 12 to the plurality of parallelsupport members 76 at one or more points along a base of the mobilevessel 12. In some embodiments, the plurality of parallel supportmembers 76 may be separated by open areas to form the skeletal structureof the frame 14, while in other embodiments the plurality of parallelsupport members 76 may be substantially contiguous. In still otherembodiments, the plurality of support members 76 may be partially orsubstantially perpendicular or may intersect or overlap, for example toform a lattice support for the base of mobile vessel 12.

In the illustrated embodiment, the mobile vessel 12 includes a walkway18 to enable workers to access components of a waste handling system 10,such as the ports 20 arranged along a top 22 of the mobile vessel 12.Top-loading hose ports 20 can receive waste material via vacuum oroverhead loading, in some examples, while ports in rear end door 50 canreceive waste material by pump loading. Furthermore, in certainembodiments, instrumentation systems 24 such as sensors, levels,pressure gauges, and the like, and a controller 53 to controllably openand close the rear end door 50, may be arranged along the mobile vessel12 and accessible via the walkway 18.

In some embodiments, an integral scale can be positioned under themobile vessel 12 to measure the weight of the payload contents of mobilevessel 12. As the mobile vessel 12 is filled or emptied, the integralscale or other instrumentation systems 24 can monitor the weight of themobile vessel 12 to enhance the payload of the mobile vessel 12, whilemaintaining a gross weight of the waste handling system 10 and tractor90 within applicable highway regulations. In some examples, the maximumgross weight of the waste handling system 10 and tractor 90 may be80,000 lbs. of weight, while in other examples the maximum gross weightmay be greater or less than 80,000 lbs., as will be understood by one ofordinary skill in the art.

In some embodiments, a device to weigh the contents of the mobile vessel12 load may be integrated into the mobile vessel 12 and frame 14, andmay monitor either a pneumatic pressure of an air brake system for theframe 14, or the weight of the frame 14 directly, with use of load cellsin real-time, as will be readily understood by one having ordinary skillin the art. As the mobile vessel 12 is filled or emptied, the device maymonitor the pneumatic pressure of the air brake system, from which apayload of the mobile vessel 12 may be determined. An operator orcontroller may monitor the determined payload in order to determine whento stop introducing or draining the waste material into or from theenhanced-payload mobile vessel 12, for example when the mobile vessel 12has achieved the desired payload, such as a maximum payload permitted inlight of the gross weight of the waste handling system 10 and tractor90, according to appropriate highway regulations.

In certain embodiments, the walkway 18 may be constructed of 12-inchwide aluminum grip strut, thereby reducing the overall weight of thewalkway 18 compared to a heavier material, while still providingsufficient strength to support workers operating on the walkway 18. Asillustrated, the walkway 18 includes a ladder 30 to provide access tothe walkway 18 and also handles 32 to provide locations to grip,tie-off, or tie-on, for example, if a worker is utilizing afall-protection harness. In this manner, various operations may beconducted on the walkway 18, such as opening or closing the ports 20,checking levels in the mobile vessel 12, operating the controller 53 toopen and close the rear door 50, operating one or more valves 52, or thelike.

As described above, in the illustrated embodiments, ports 20 arearranged at the top 22 of the mobile vessel 12 to enable access to aninterior of the mobile vessel 12. For example, the ports 20 may beutilized to direct waste material (e.g., solids-phase content,liquids-phase content, sludge) into the interior of the mobile vessel 12for storage, separation, transportation, or the like. In the illustratedembodiment, the ports (sometimes called “manways”) 20 are attached tothe mobile vessel 12 to thereby enable access to the interior volume bypivoting a lid (or “manway cover”) 36 about an axis. In certainembodiments, a seal or gasket may be arranged between the lid 36 and theport 20 to provide a substantially sealed, liquid-tight barrier betweenthe interior of the mobile vessel 12 and the outside. It should beappreciated that, in certain embodiments, the lid 36 may or may not beattached to the mobile vessel 12. For example, the lid 36 may be aremovable plate, such as a manhole cover, that is attached to the mobilevessel 12 via one or more fasteners, such as a bolt, screw, clevis pin,or the like. Moreover, it should be appreciated that in embodimentswhere the lid 36 is attached, the lid 36 may be secured to the mobilevessel 12 via one or more fasteners.

In the illustrated embodiment, the ports 20 may be surrounded by one ormore protective barriers 40 (sometimes called crow's nests) arrangedaround a respective periphery of each port 20. Protective barriers 40may act as rollover damage protection devices. In the illustratedembodiment, three ports 20 are arranged along a length 42 of the mobilevessel 12. The protective barriers 40, in the illustrated embodiment,extend upwardly from the top 22 of the mobile vessel to provide rolloverdamage protection to the ports 20, for example to avoid leaks in theevent of a rollover accident. The protective barriers 40 mayadditionally block debris from striking the ports 20 when the wastehandling system 10 is being transported between locations. Moreover, theprotective barriers 40 may also provide additional support for workersoperating at the top 22 of the mobile vessel 12. As will be describedbelow, in certain embodiments, the protective barriers 40 may extendupwardly to an elevation higher than an elevation of the top of theports 20 to effectively shield the ports 20 in at least one of fourdirections (e.g., left side, right side, front, and back), for example.

As described above, the mobile vessel 12 is utilized to separate, store,transport, and dispose of waste materials. To this end, the mobilevessel 12 may be substantially cylindrical, along at least a portion ofthe length 42. In other embodiments, the mobile vessel 12 may be shapedand sized to comply with applicable highway regulations and standards.Moreover, in certain embodiments, the mobile vessel 12 may include oneor more structural supports such as bands 44, which may be externalreinforcing rings extending substantially around the outer wall of themobile vessel 12 to thereby structurally support the mobile vessel 12when material is stored therein, for example to strengthen the mobilevessel 12 to withstand pressure from internal contents as well as toprotect against structural damage during transport. These bands 44 maybe spaced to form a substantially skeletal or cage-like frame aroundmobile vessel 12 in order to enhance structural strength while limitingthe gross weight of the waste handling system 10. In some embodiments,bands 44 may be connected to and may extend vertically upwardly from abase of the frame 14 at a lower portion of the mobile vessel 12. Otherstructural supports, as will be understood by those skilled in the art,may be used as well or in the alternative to provide structural supportto the body or base of the mobile vessel 12. Furthermore, in certainembodiments, structural supports such as the bands 44 may be utilized tosupport the protective barriers 40. That is, the protective barriers 40may be arranged proximate or connected to the bands 44.

In operation, waste material (e.g., liquid, solid, sludge) is directedinto the mobile vessel 12, for example through one or more of the ports20. In some embodiments, waste material may be introduced into themobile vessel 12 so as to create an even distribution of weight in themobile vessel 12. This even distribution of weight may optimize adistribution of weight on each of a plurality of axles associated withthe frame 14 of the mobile vessel 12, so as to enhance an ability toremain within a maximum permitted gross vehicle weight for the mobilevessel and an associated tractor-trailer 90, for example, while alsomaximizing the payload transported by mobile vessel 12.

As will be described below, in embodiments where the waste material hasboth liquids-phase and solids-phase content, after the waste material isdirected into the mobile vessel 12, the waste material may be held inthe mobile vessel 12 for a residence time sufficient to allow solidspresent within the waste material to settle out, resulting in aconcentrated solids-phase sludge layered at the bottom of the mobilevessel, separated from liquids-phase content layered above theconcentrated solids-phase sludge. The liquids-phase content may beallowed to flow out of the rear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12, forexample through one or more valves 52, for reuse at the site or forseparate, more economical liquid disposal. As the liquids-phase contentis drained from the mobile vessel 12, additional waste material may beadded to the mobile vessel 12, allowed to separate, and drained, in arepeated cycle until the mobile vessel is substantially filled with theconcentrated solids-phase sludge. By draining the liquids-phase contentseparately from the solids-phase content, the additional cost andfacility use associated with separating and processing a waste materialhaving both liquids-phase and solids-phase content may be avoided. Forexample, as discussed above, typical waste handling systems may utilizesolidification agents or centrifuges to separate or process wastematerial for disposal. Such additional materials and costs may beavoided by transporting and separating the waste material within mobilevessel 12.

For example, as the waste material is directed through the mobile vessel12, and the solids-phase contents settle out, the concentratedsolids-phase sludge level may reach a predetermined position, volume,weight, or solids-phase concentration, for example, and thereby beconsidered ready for disposal. For example, as the liquids-phase contentis drained from the mobile vessel 12 and additional waste material isadded, the concentrated solids-phase sludge may rise to a level suchthat sufficient space is not provided for additional waste material tobe added and held for a residence time sufficient to allow theliquids-phase content and solids-phase content to separate. In thismanner, instrumentation 24 to be used with or associated with the system10 may include a level, as will be understood by those skilled in theart, which is monitored to determine the quantity or ratio, with respectto the liquid content, of solids in the mobile vessel 12. In otherexamples, the drained liquids-phase content may be observed by operatorsto determine a point at which the liquids-phase content contains anundesirable proportion of solids-phase content, indicating that asufficient residence time for solids-phase content separation has notbeen attained. At such time as a maximum concentrated solids-phasecontent is attained, the contents of the mobile vessel 12 may betransported to an offsite waste management facility.

In other examples, mobile vessel 12 may be filled with waste materialconstituted to include substantially dry waste material, such thatmobile vessel 12 may be filled through a top port 20 until a maximumlegal gross vehicle weight for the mobile vessel 12 and associatedtrailer is reached. The mobile vessel 12 may then be transported to anoff-site waste management facility, where the dry waste material may bedumped out of a rear end door 50 of the mobile vessel 12.

As described above, the mobile vessel 12 may extend a desired length,(e.g., as illustrated by line 42 in FIG. 1B) with an inlet 70 at a frontend 72, and one or more valves 52 and a rear end door 50 at a rear end48 that can be selectively opened and closed to allow waste material toenter and exit the mobile vessel 12. In operation, the waste material isselectively introduced into the base body of the mobile vessel 12 at thefront end 72 through the inlet 70 or one or more ports 20 to beginprocessing the waste material. For example, in certain embodiments, thewaste material may be a sludge that is introduced into the mobile vessel12. As the sludge flows through the mobile vessel 12, the solids-phasecontent from the sludge may begin to settle out and remain in the mobilevessel 12. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the flow rate of thewaste material may be particularly selected such that the solids-phasecontent is not driven through the mobile vessel 12, but the liquid doesflow through the mobile vessel 12, in examples where the waste materialis constituted of both solid-phase and liquid-phase components. In someembodiments, the residence time of the waste material may beparticularly selected such that the solids-phase content has sufficienttime to settle out of the liquids-phase content, such that theliquids-phase content may be drained from mobile vessel 12 with littleto no solids-phase content therein. In this manner, separation of thesolids-phase content from the liquids-phase content may be performed atthe well site or other industrial waste production site in someexamples, or at an off-site waste management facility in other examples,and may enable efficient storage, handling, transportation, and disposalof the separated waste material. As discussed above, suchsingle-container separation of the liquids-phase content andsolids-phase content may avoid the costs and facilities typicallyrequired for separating, processing, and disposing of waste materialhaving both solids-phase and liquids-phase contents.

In the illustrated embodiments, the frame 14 includes one or more legs74 that extend downwardly, toward the ground plane, from the frame 14.The legs 74 may be retractable to enable the legs 74 to move from afirst position in which each leg 74 is in contact with the ground to asecond position in which each leg 74 is not in contact with the ground.In this manner, the one or more legs 74 may be utilized to support thewaste handling system 10, for example, when the waste handling system 10is in operation at the well site or other industrial waste productionsite. Furthermore, as shown, the frame 14 and the mobile vessel 12 arefurther supported by wheels 16, as described above. Accordingly, themobile vessel 12 may be arranged substantially level to the ground planeto enable separation and processing of waste material within the mobilevessel 12.

The rear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12 includes a rear end door 50securely positioned to cover the rear end 48, the rear end door 50extending substantially around the circumference of the rear end 48 ofthe mobile vessel 12. The rear end door 50 may be in a closed position,as illustrated in FIG. 1B, in which the rear end door 50 covers andcloses the rear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12. When in a closedposition, the rear end door 50 may form a liquid-tight seal with therear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12. For example, one or more gasketsmay be positioned around a circumference of the rear end door 50 todefine a gasketed circumference to form a liquid-tight seal with therear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12. The rear end door 50 may besecurely clamped to the rear end 48 by one or more fasteners 51, such asbolt-and-wing nut assemblies, spaced around the circumference of therear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12. The rear end door 50 may beunsecured from the closed position by loosening the one or morefasteners 51, for example with an impact wrench, and moved to an openposition in which the rear end 48 is uncovered and open by rotating therear end door 50 upward about a hydraulically actuated hinge 56positioned at a top portion of the rear end door 50, for example, aswill be well understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

In some examples, the hinge 56 may be operated by activating ahydraulically connected controller 53, which may allow for opening andclosing of rear end door 50 in a controlled fashion. The controller 53may be positioned, in some embodiments, spaced apart and away from therear end door 50 of the mobile vessel 12, for example on a side of themobile vessel 12, such that the controller 53 may only be operated froma position safely away from the rear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12.

In some embodiments, the rear end door 50 may be controlled by ahydraulic cylinder 57 powered by a stationary hydraulic pump andreservoir assembly 62, as illustrated in FIG. 9B, for example, which maybe usable with one or more mobile vessels 12 to power operation of therear end door 50 of each of the one or more mobile vessels 12. Forexample, a hydraulic pump and reservoir assembly 62 may be independentlypositioned and hydraulically connected to the rear end door 50 of themobile vessel 12 by a plurality of hydraulic hose connections, as willbe readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The use of astationary hydraulic pump and reservoir assembly 62 may be analternative to use of a hydraulic pump, a fluid reservoir, and either apower takeoff or an auxiliary engine positioned onboard the mobilevessel 12, which may contribute to the gross vehicle weight of thetractor-trailer assembly, thereby limiting the payload of the mobilevessel 12.

An outlet is located at the rear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12 topermit waste material when positioned in the interior volume of the basebody of the mobile vessel 12 to be emptied therethrough when the rearend door 50 is opened, in some examples by elevating a front end ofmobile vessel 12 to achieve an angle of tilt of the mobile vessel 12with respect to a ground plane sufficient to enable portions or more ofthe waste material contents to slidably flow out of the outlet. Theoutlet may be selectively covered or uncovered by the rear end door 50,and contents of the mobile vessel 12 may be emptied from the mobilevessel 12 through the rear end 48 when the rear end door 50 is in theopen position.

The rear end door 50 includes one or more valves 52, each of which maybe selectively opened and closed individually or in combination to allowliquids-phase waste material to be drained from the mobile vessel 12.When a valve 52 is open, the inside of or interior of the mobile vessel12 is in fluid communication with an outside environment via the openvalve 52. Thus, when a valve 52 is open, liquids-phase content withinthe mobile vessel 12 that is in a position equal to or higher than theposition of the open valve may flow out of the mobile vessel via theopen valve. In the illustrated embodiment, the rear end door 50 includesthree valves 52, for example, each at a different vertical elevationalposition. In other embodiments, fewer than three or greater than threevalves may be used, as will be understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art. Each valve 52 may extend away from the rear end door 50 at adownward angle between 0 degrees to the horizontal axis of the mobilevessel 12 and 90 degrees to the horizontal axis of the mobile vessel 12.In the illustrated embodiments, the valves 52 may each include a handle54 used to open or close the respective valve 52. In certainembodiments, the valves 52 may be electrically controlled or actuated.

The use of a plurality of valves 52 having different elevations alongthe rear end door 50 may be particularly useful for waste materialshaving a high liquids-phase content. For example, fracking wastematerials may be constituted of a particularly high ratio of waste waterto solids-phase content, which may be more easily separated from thesolids-phase content byproducts of the fracking operation, such as sandand flowback solids, through the one or more valves 52 of mobile vessel12. By separating the liquids-phase content from the solids-phasecontent in the mobile vessel 12, the need to separate, process, anddispose of the waste material at a waste treatment facility may beavoided, as may be the costs attendant thereto.

FIG. 4 is a right side elevational view of the mobile vessel 12 havingthe rear end door 50 in a closed position according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a right side elevational view of themobile vessel 12 having the rear end door 50 in an open positionaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In certainembodiments, the rear end door 50 may be attached to the mobile vessel12. In some embodiments, a coupler 56, such as a hydraulically actuatedhinge, for example, connected to a top side of the rear end 48 of themobile vessel 12 and an upper end portion of the rear end door 50 mayconnect the rear end door 50 to the mobile vessel 12 so that the rearend door 50 opens upwardly and away from a bottom side of the rear end48 of the mobile vessel 12, thereby to enhance ease of removal ofseparated and retained solids-phase content in the waste material fromthe outlet in the rear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12. Any mechanism orconfiguration capable of opening and closing the rear end 48 of thevessel, however, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, maybe considered a rear end door 50. For example, in some embodiments therear end door 50 may include two or more door components which togetherseal the rear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12. In some embodiments, thewaste handling system 10 may include a bottom sump support, e.g. 4inches in size, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

As described above, in certain embodiments, such as where the wastematerial is constituted of portions or more of liquid-phase content, thewaste material is directed into the mobile vessel 12 via the inlet 70 atthe front end 72 of the mobile vessel 12 or through one or more ports 20positioned along the top surface 22 of the mobile vessel 12, or acombination thereof. In some examples, the waste material is directedinto the mobile vessel 12 via an inlet 70 from another mobile vessel 12,for example as illustrated in FIG. 8E, while in other embodiments thewaste material is directed into mobile vessel 12 via inlet 70 from atank or pit. In certain embodiments, the waste material may beintroduced into the mobile vessel 12 at approximately 10 barrels perhour. As the waste material settles in the mobile vessel 12 and issubsequently removed from the mobile vessel 12 as liquids-phase wastematerial (e.g., via the introduction of additional waste material), thevalves 52 at the rear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12 may be opened todirect the liquids-phase content of the waste material out of the mobilevessel 12 for reuse at the well site or other industrial wasteproduction site or for disposal. In this manner, the waste material maybe effectively separated at the well site or other industrial wasteproduction site via the waste handling system 10 (see, e.g. FIGS.8A-8E). Moreover, in the illustrated embodiments, the waste handlingsystem 10 includes various nozzles, ports, valves, instrumentation, andthe like for a variety of purposes, such as cleaning, monitoring, andthe like, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

FIGS. 8A-8E are schematic views of embodiments of a mobile vessel 12receiving a waste material 100, having both solids-phase andliquids-phase contents, via the inlet 70. In the illustrated embodiment,the mobile vessel 12 includes a solid level 102 accumulated at thebottom of the mobile vessel 12 and a liquid level 104 positioned to belayered above the solid level 12, represented by the waste material 100being moved through the mobile vessel 12. As will be appreciated, forillustrative purposes, the waste material 100 includes solid particles106 dispersed throughout the waste material 100 that have settled out or“dropped out” of the waste material 100. As will be appreciated, alonger residence time, that is a longer time for the waste material 100to remain within the mobile vessel 12, will facilitate more solidparticle 106 settling. In this manner, as the waste material 100 travelsthrough the mobile vessel 12, the solids 106 will be deposited at thebottom of the mobile vessel 12, accumulating to form the solid level102, which may include a concentrated solids-phase sludge material or asludge cake, in various embodiments, depending on the residence timeallowed. A substantially liquid portion 104 will be positioned above thesolid level 102 and may be expelled from the mobile vessel 12 throughone or more of the valves 52 a, 52 b, 52 c. For example, as illustratedin FIG. 8C, the liquids-phase content may be drained through valve 52 b.The expelled liquid portion may be reused at a well site or otherindustrial waste production site or separated for disposal. As a result,for example, separation may occur at a well site or other industrialwaste production site or at an off-site waste management facility,thereby improving efficiencies by hauling substantially all solid wasteor substantially all liquid waste from the well site or other industrialwaste production site, as opposed to incurring the cost of transportingthe waste material 100 and managing the entire contents as aliquid-solid mixture.

In the illustrated embodiment, the mobile vessel 12 includes a rear enddoor 50 that has three valves 52 a, 52 b, 52 c connected thereto, eachof which can be selectively opened and closed to permit contents of themobile vessel 12 to be expelled. In other embodiments, fewer than threeor more than three valves may be utilized, as will be understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art. The three valves 52 a, 52 b, 52 c eachhave a different vertical position in the illustrated embodiment, butmay be differently positioned at any point along the rear end 48 of themobile vessel 12 in various embodiments. A plurality of valves 52 mayeach be positioned at different heights with respect to the base bodyheight, as illustrated in the embodiment. Thus, depending on the heightof the solid level 102 and the height of the liquid level 104, each ofthe valves 52 a, 52 b, 52 c may be selectively opened or closed suchthat only liquids-phase content is expelled from the vessel and thesolid level 102 remains inside the mobile vessel 12, for example in theform of a concentrated solids-phase sludge or a sludge cake.Specifically, in the case of FIG. 8A, valve 52 b may be opened and valve52 c may remain closed in order to allow the liquid portion 104 to beexpelled from mobile vessel 12. In some embodiments, the plurality ofvalves 52 may be located in a medial portion of the door 50 and angleddownward from a horizontal axis of the mobile vessel 12.

Furthermore, in certain embodiments, two or more waste handling systems10 may be arranged in series, thereby providing increased residencetimes and potentially enabling more of the solid particles 106 to dropout of the waste material 100, for example as illustrated in FIG. 8E.For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8E, a first mobile vessel 12 a mayinclude a solid level 102 and a liquid level 104, which may be formedfrom separation of the solids-phase content from the waste material overa residence time spent in the mobile vessel 12 a. The liquids-phasecontent may be drained through one or more valves 52, with the help of apump 75, into a second mobile vessel 12 b when it is determined that theliquids-phase content of the first mobile vessel 12 a still containsmore than a desired solids-phase content. As discussed above, thisdetermination may be made visually by an operator, or may be determinedby instrumentation associated with the mobile vessel 12 and configuredto measure concentration, liquid and/or solid level, weight, or thelike, as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Thus,the partially separated liquids-phase content from the first mobilevessel 12 a may be allowed additional residence time in the secondmobile vessel 12 b to allow additional solids-phase content to separateso as to form liquid level 104 and solid level 102. The further purifiedliquids-phase content may then be drained from one or more valves 52 atthe rear end 48 of the second mobile vessel 12 b, leaving behind aconcentrated solids-phase sludge or sludge cake in each of the firstmobile vessel 12 a and the second mobile vessel 12 b for later dumping.

In some embodiments, some or all of the plurality of valves 52 include aconduit interface facilitating connection of the valve 52 to a conduit,thereby permitting flow of the fluid contents from the mobile vessel 12into the conduit. The conduit may lead from a first mobile vessel 12 ato a second mobile vessel 12 b, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 8E,or alternatively may lead to a receiving vessel in other embodiments. Insome embodiments a pump 75 may be coupled to the conduit to facilitatemovement of the liquids-content waste material from the first mobilevessel 12 a to the second mobile vessel 12 b.

FIG. 8B is a schematic view of an embodiment of the mobile vessel 12having the solid level 102 and the liquid level 104 as the wastematerial 100 is introduced into the mobile vessel 12 via the inlet 70.As more waste material 100 has been introduced into the mobile vessel12, the liquid level 104 is higher in FIG. 8B than the liquid level 104in FIG. 8A, and therefore the solid level 102 is also higher due to theincreased residence time (e.g., settling time) within the mobile vessel12. After a suitable residence time, portions or more of theliquids-phase content may be drained from the mobile vessel 12 throughone or more valves 52. For example, in the illustrated embodiment,liquids-phase content may be drained through valve 52b.

FIG. 8C is a schematic view of an embodiment of the mobile vessel 12 inwhich the solid level 102 has risen due to the residence time andquantity of waste material 100 being introduced into the mobile vessel12. The liquid portion 104, however, has decreased as some liquids-phasecontent has been expelled from the mobile vessel 12 via valve 52 b,while retaining the solids-phase content in the mobile vessel 12. Inother words, over time the solid level 102 will rise as more solidparticles 106 settle out of the waste material 100, but the liquidportion 104 can be expelled as the liquids-phase content accumulates.

FIG. 8D is a schematic view of an embodiment of the mobile vessel 12 inwhich the solid level 102 has risen even more than in FIGS. 8A-8C. Asthe solid level 102 rises, the liquid level 104 is pushed upward. Thus,when the solid level 102 rises to a position higher than a certain valve52, the next valve 52 up is opened in order to expel the liquids-phasecontent. Specifically, in FIG. 8D, the solid level 102 has risen higherthan valves 52 c and 52 b. Thus, valve 52 a may be used to expel theliquids-phase content. In certain embodiments, a level or one or moresensors may be utilized to evaluate the solid level 102 and determinewhich of the valves 52 should be opened to expel the liquids-phasecontent, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. In certainembodiments, there may be liquids-phase content in the vessel that fallsbelow a valve 52, but the next valve 52 down may be covered bysolids-phase content. In order to expel this liquids-phase content fromthe mobile vessel 12, additional waste material may be added to themobile vessel 12 to raise the liquid level 104 above a valve 52 so thatthe liquids-phase content can be expelled through that valve 52. Yet, incertain embodiments, the liquid level 104 may be such that thesolids-phase content of the waste material in the mobile vessel 12 isgreater than 50 percent, and as a result, some residual liquids-phasecontent in the mobile vessel 12 may still be disposed of at a pit orlandfill with the rest of the concentrated solids-phase sludge material.Because the concentrated solids-phase sludge material is alreadyisolated within the mobile vessel 12, the mobile vessel 12 may be closedand transported away from a well site or other industrial wasteproduction site to a disposal facility. Moreover, if additional wastematerial is on site at a well site or other industrial waste productionsite, another waste handling system 10 may be delivered and connected tothe equipment at the well site or other industrial waste productionsite.

Instrumentation 24 on the mobile vessel 12 may include one or moresensors, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, whichmeasure the levels and various other parameters of the liquids-phasecontent and solids-phase content for determining which valve 52 to open.The liquid level 104 may also be utilized to determine when to stopoperations and transport the mobile vessel 12 away for disposal of thematerial positioned therein. Accordingly, it is appreciated that thetiming and parameters to determine that a mobile vessel 12 is ready tobe transported from the site may be particularly selected based on theoperating parameters at the well, the weight of the material within themobile vessel 12, or other reasonable parameters detectable byinstrumentation 24, as well as operator observation, for example.

In some embodiments, instrumentation 24 may measure the pneumaticpressure in an air brake system associated with the mobile vessel 12frame 14 as the mobile vessel 12 is filled or emptied. A payload of themobile vessel 12 and frame 14 may be derived from the pneumaticpressure, as will be well understood by one of ordinary skill in theart, and inlet 70 or the one or more valves 52 may be automatically ormanually opened or closed according to the derived payload when themobile vessel 12 has reached a maximum legal payload, for example.

After passing through the mobile vessel 12, the liquids-phase contentflow may be substantially all liquid; that is, the liquid flow may becapable of being filtered to a quite small scale of sizing, such asapproximately 10 microns. It should be appreciated that filters of othersizes, such as 5 microns, 20 microns, or the like may also be utilizedto determine if sufficient settling has occurred. In certainembodiments, the liquid flow may be used at a fracking or other oil andgas well site or other industrial waste production site. Moreover, incertain embodiments, the liquid flow may be otherwise disposed. Forexample, in certain embodiments, it may be less costly to dispose ofliquid material than solid material. As a result, by enabling the solidparticles 106 to drop out of the waste material 100 via a residence timein the mobile vessel 12, the cost of disposing of the liquid flow may bereduced, thereby reducing the cost of operations at the well site orother industrial waste production site.

FIG. 9A is a rear perspective view of the waste handling system 10,specifically pointing to a front region 58 and the rear region 59, whichare illustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 10A and 11, respectively.FIG. 9B is a front perspective view of the waste handling system 10. Asillustrated in FIG. 9B, an external, stationary hydraulic pump andreservoir assembly 62 may be positioned proximate to the waste handlingsystem 10 and may be hydraulically connected to the rear end door 50 ofthe mobile vessel 12 in order to provide power to open and close therear end door 50, as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in theart. By utilizing a stationary hydraulic pump and reservoir 62, theadded weight of a mobile hydraulic pump and reservoir connected to andcarried onboard the mobile vessel 12 or frame 14 may be avoided.Additionally, a single stationary hydraulic pump and reservoir 62 may beused to provide power to multiple mobile vessels 12 at a well site oroff-site waste management facility.

With reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B, the front region 58 may include afront mount and a washout line 47. With reference to FIG. 11, the rearend door 50 may be connected to the mobile vessel 12 via a reinforcedhinge 56 to allow for the door 50 to lift upwardly, so that materialclears more effectively from the opening/outlet when the door 50 is inan open position during discharge. In certain embodiments, the rearregion 59 also includes hydraulic controls 57 to actuate hinge 56, asdiscussed in detail above.

As illustrated in FIGS. 12-14, the rear end door 50 may be securelyclosed and fastened to the rear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12 with oneor more fasteners 51 (e.g., latches, wing nuts, and so forth, as will beunderstood by those skilled in the art) positioned around thecircumference of the rear end door 50, to form a liquid-tight sealbetween rear end door 50 and the rear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12.The fasteners 51 may be released to open the rear end door 50, in someexamples by using an impact wrench. In some examples, the rear end door50 may maintain a liquid-tight seal after the one or more fasteners 51have been released, for example because of one or more gasketspositioned around a circumference of the rear end door 50 remain sealed,and because the hydraulically actuated hinge 56, when in the closedposition, maintains the rear end door 50 in a liquid-tight positionagainst the rear end 48. The liquid-tight seal may then be released byrotating rear end door 50 about hinge 56, after having loosened the oneor more fasteners 51.

In the illustrated embodiment, the rear end door 50 includes six valves52 positioned at three different levels. In other embodiments, the rearend door 50 may include fewer than or more than six valves 52, as willbe understood by one skilled in the art. The valves 52 may be connectedto a fluid channel such as a tube or hose to flow the liquids-phasecontent of the waste material from the mobile vessel 12, while in otherembodiments the valves 52 may empty the contents of the mobile vessel 12directly into a pit or other receiving vessel. In certain embodiments inwhich the waste material includes both solids-phase and liquids-phasecomponents, and in which a liquid level 104 remains in the mobile vessel12 but falls below an accessible valve 52, the mobile vessel 12 may betilted, for example using a jack or crane, to allow the liquid level 104to reach the valve 52 and be expelled from the vessel 12. Thesolids-phase content may be similarly emptied from the mobile vessel 12when the mobile vessel 12 is tilted and the rear end door 50 is open.

In an embodiment, waste material (such as liquids-phase content,solids-phase content, concentrated solids-phase sludge, a sludge cake,or the like) may be dumped from the enhanced-payload mobile vessel 12 bya site-based lifting mechanism. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG.15, for example, the site-based lifting mechanism can include a jack 132positioned under a front end 72 of the mobile vessel 12. In theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 15, the jack 132 may be mounted to a jacktruck 130, while in other embodiments the jack 132 may be stationary atthe off-site waste management facility.

FIG. 15 is a schematic elevation view of an embodiment of the wastehandling system 10 being raised to an angle of tilt 134 by the jacktruck 130 sufficient to enable portions or more of the waste materialcontents of the mobile vessel 12 to slidably flow out of mobile vessel12. Additionally or alternatively, the waste handling system 10 mayinclude a lifting interface, such as a lug, positioned at a front end 72of the mobile vessel 12 opposite the rear end 48. The lifting interfaceis attachable to a lifting device, such as a crane, to lift the frontend 72 of the mobile vessel 12 and tilt the mobile vessel 12 to an angleof tilt 134, placing the rear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12 at a lowergravitational position than the front end 72 of the mobile vessel 12,thereby to allow liquids-phase content to flow more readily through theplurality of valves 52 when in the open position and to allow solids tobe more readily removed from the interior volume of the base body of themobile vessel 12 through the outlet at the rear end 48 when the door 50is in an open position.

In some embodiments, the jack 132 may be integrated with a tippingmechanism mounted to a tractor dedicated to tipping the mobile vessel 12and repositioning the mobile vessel 12 within a waste managementfacility such that a different truck used for transportation of themobile vessel 12 to the waste management facility can quickly enter andexit a waste management facility equipped with such a tractor. Thisembodiment may enable the waste management facility to empty the mobilevessel 12 on an independent schedule and enable the delivering tractorto quickly return to transportation service with minimal time spent inthe waste management facility. Such an arrangement may minimizetransportation costs and maximize driver hours available forover-the-road service within the permissible limits under applicablehighway regulations, for example.

As described above, in examples where the waste material 100 isconstituted of both solids-phase and liquids-phase contents, as thewaste material 100 is directed into the mobile vessel 12 via the inlet70, the solid particles 106 drop out of the waste material 100 andaccumulate within the mobile vessel 12 to form a concentratedsolids-phase sludge along the bottom of the mobile vessel 12. As aresult, when the waste handling system 10 is removed from the oil andgas well site or other industrial waste production site to an off-sitewaste management facility, the mobile vessel 12 is emptied of theaccumulated concentrated solids-phase sludge by tilting the mobilevessel 12 and directing the concentrated solids-phase sludge toward therear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12.

In an illustrated embodiment, a jack truck 130 includes a jack 132 thatdrives the front end 72 of the mobile vessel 12 upwards. In theillustrated embodiment, the jack 132 drives the front end 72 upward suchthat an angle of tilt 134 is formed between the mobile vessel 12 and theground plane. In the illustrated embodiment, the angle of tilt 134 maybe approximately 35-40 degrees, and as will be understood by thoseskilled in the art, the angle of tilt 134 may range from about 30° toabout 70° depending on the strength, reach, and the like of a jack truckand desired valve or flow angle associated with rear portions of amobile vessel 12. It should be appreciated that, in certain embodiments,the angle of tilt 134 may be approximately 40 degrees, approximately 45degrees, approximately 50 degrees, approximately 55 degrees,approximately 60 degrees, approximately 65 degrees, or any othersuitable angle to facilitate removal of the liquids-phase content orsolids-phase content from the mobile vessel 12, either through one ormore valves 52 or through rear end door 50, or a combination thereof.Moreover, the angle of tilt 134 may be between smaller selected rangessuch as approximately 40 degrees and approximately 45 degrees, betweenapproximately 45 degrees and approximately 50 degrees, betweenapproximately 50 degrees and approximately 55 degrees, betweenapproximately 55 degrees and approximately 60 degrees, betweenapproximately 60 degrees and approximately 65 degrees, betweenapproximately 65 degrees and approximately 70 degrees, or any othersuitable range, as will be readily understood by one of ordinary skillin the art. In certain embodiments, the solids-phase content inside ofthe mobile vessel 12, such as a concentrated solids-phase sludge orsludge cake, may be removed from the mobile vessel 12 by similarlyraising the mobile vessel 12 at an angle in which the front end 72 ishigher than the rear end 48, and with the rear end door 50 open (forexample as illustrated in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7).

The waste handling system 10 may include a pivot positioned at the rearend 48 of the mobile vessel 12 about which the mobile vessel 12 canpivot, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, when the frontend 72 is lifted. For example, the waste handling system 10 may rotateabout the wheel 16 when the front end 72 is lifted via the jack truck130. For example, the wheel 16 may be strapped down to the ground planevia a wheel strap 136 to prevent the wheel 16 from slipping. Moreover, abar and/or chock may be positioned about the wheel to further preventslippage or movement of the waste handling system 10. In this manner,the mobile vessel 12 may be emptied by tilting the mobile vessel 12 andenabling gravity to drive the accumulated solids-phase content towardthe rear end 48 and out of the mobile vessel 12.

FIG. 16 is a left side perspective view of an embodiment of the wastehandling system 10 being tilted via a crane 150 to empty the mobilevessel 12. As shown, the waste handling system 10 is arranged in atilted position such that the angle of tilt 134 is approximately 35-40degrees. As described above, however, in certain embodiments, the angleof tilt 134 may be approximately 40 degrees, approximately 45 degrees,approximately 50 degrees, approximately 55 degrees, approximately 60degrees, approximately 65 degrees, approximately 70 degrees, or anyother suitable angle to facilitate removal of solids-phase contentand/or liquids-phase content from the mobile vessel 12. Moreover, theangle of tilt 134 may be between approximately 40 degrees andapproximately 45 degrees, between approximately 45 degrees andapproximately 50 degrees, between approximately 50 degrees andapproximately 55 degrees, between approximately 55 degrees andapproximately 60 degrees, between approximately 60 degrees andapproximately 65 degrees, or any other suitable range. In theillustrated embodiment, the wheel 16 is secured via the wheel strap 136,thereby facilitating rotation about the wheel 136 when the crane 150 isconnected to the mobile vessel 12 to allow mobile vessel 12 to belifted. In the illustrated embodiment, the crane 150 lifts the mobilevessel 12 via a hook 152 such that the mobile vessel 12 rotates aboutthe wheel 16. Moreover, it should be appreciated that, in certainembodiments, the crane 150 does not lift the mobile vessel 12 straightup. Instead, in certain embodiments, the crane 150 lifts the mobilevessel 12 upward and also telescopes outwardly, toward the mobile vessel12, to facilitate movement of the mobile vessel 12 to the illustratedtilted position. In this manner, either liquids-phase content can beexpelled via one or more valve 52, or the solids-phase content can beexpelled via the rear end 48 with the rear end door 50 in an openposition.

FIGS. 17-19 are left side elevational views of the waste handling system10 being positioned in the tilted position via the crane 150. Asdescribed above, when positioning the mobile vessel 12 of the wastehandling system 10 in the tilted position, the crane 150 both lifts themobile vessel 12 upwards and telescopes outwardly toward the mobilevessel 12 to arrange the angle of tilt 134 to be approximately equal to35-40 degrees. As illustrated in FIG. 17, the crane 150 may be connectedto the mobile vessel 12 via the hook 152. As shown, a selected boomlength 160 of the crane 150 is represented by “X” to illustrate that theboom length 160 has some value, which will vary based on the size of thecrane 150. Moreover, a selected crane lift rope length 162 isrepresented by “Y” to illustrate that the crane lift rope length 162 hassome value, which will also vary based on the size of the crane 150. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the waste handling system 10 is arrangedsubstantially parallel to the ground plane.

In some embodiments, before the mobile vessel 12 is lifted to a desiredangle of tilt 134, one or more valves 52 may be opened to expel as muchliquids-phase content from the mobile vessel 12 as possible while thewaste handling system 10 is arranged substantially parallel to theground plane. In some embodiments, the rear end door 50 may beadditionally or alternatively unfastened and partially opened to anextent sufficient to allow additional liquids-phase content to escapethe mobile vessel 12, without allowing a significant amount ofsolids-phase content to escape. This pre-dumping may allow for a reducedload imposed on the crane 150 during lifting.

In FIG. 18, the crane 150 is utilized to lift the front end 72 of themobile vessel 12 by shortening a selected lift rope length 162, which isrepresented by “Y-Z.” As will be appreciated, Y-Z is less than Y, andthereby represents a shortening of the lift rope length 162 to raise theelevation of the front end 72 of the mobile vessel 12. The specificvalues of Y, Z, and Y-Z, however, may vary based on the size of thecrane 150, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

In embodiments where the rear end door 50 has been partially openedbefore tilting the mobile vessel 12, the rear end door 50 may be allowedto open fully by gravity and/or hydraulic power as the mobile vessel 12is tilted, thereby allowing portions or more of the solids-phase contentto escape from the outlet at the rear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12.The angle of tilt 134 may be chosen with particularity to maximize freeflow of the solids-phase and/or liquids-phase content from the outlet atthe rear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12.

As illustrated in FIG. 18, the angle of tilt 134 is larger than desired,and therefore the liquids-phase and/or solids-phase content of the wastematerial within the mobile vessel 12 may not flow as freely as desired.Moreover, the increased angle of tilt 134 may increase the wear on thecomponents of the waste handling system 10, such as the frame 14. As aresult, as illustrated in FIG. 19, the boom length 160 is increased toposition the mobile vessel 12 at the desired angle of tilt 134. Theincreased boom length 160 is represented by “X+Z.” As will beappreciated, X+Z is greater than X, which represents the boomtelescoping outwardly toward the mobile vessel 12. As a result, theangle of tilt 134 is decreased to approximately 35-40 degrees. As aresult, liquids-phase and/or solids-phase content of the waste materialmay freely flow out of the mobile vessel 12 through open rear end door50 via gravity feed, as illustrated in FIG. 20. In this manner, themobile vessel 12 can be efficiently emptied and reused for otherapplications. Various different lifting devices and mechanisms can beused, such as a jack, a crane, a tipper table, and the combination of ahalf table and a crane, among others, as will be understood by thoseskilled in the art.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method 170 for separatingsolid materials from a waste material constituted to include bothsolids-phase and liquids-phase content. The method 170 starts at block172 with the waste material 100 being introduced into the mobile vessel12 at block 174, for example, via the inlet 70. The waste material mayinclude both liquids-phase and solids-phase content. As the wastematerial 100 enters the mobile vessel 12, the flow rate of the wastematerial 100 is particularly selected to provide residence time for thesolid particles 106 to drop out of the waste material 100 at block 176.For example, in certain embodiments, the mobile vessel 12 may holdapproximately 120 barrels and the flow rate may be approximately 10barrels per hour, thereby providing approximately 12 hours of residencetime for the solid particles 106 to drop out of the waste material 100.

Next, the quantity of solid particles 106 remaining in the liquids-phasecontent of the waste material 100 exiting the vessel after the desiredresidence time is evaluated by means of visual observation or labanalysis of the liquids-phase content. This sampling may occurperiodically throughout the draining process to assess the solids-phasecontent in the liquids-phase content being drained. For example, asample may be taken through a mesh filter to determine how many solidparticles 106 remain in the waste material 100. If there are too manysolid particles 106, the liquids-phase waste material 100 may bediverted back to the mobile vessel 12 or to a second mobile vessel 12 toincrease the residence time as in line 180. In other embodiments, theliquids-phase content may be visually assessed by an operator. Inembodiments where the solid particles 106 have sufficiently settled outof the waste material 100, as in line 182, the liquids-phase content isdirected out of the vessel as liquid flow through the rear end 49 of themobile vessel 12 at block 184. Thereafter, the method 170 ends at block186. Accordingly, waste material 100 may be directed to the mobilevessel 12 for solids-phase content removal from the liquids-phasecontent of the waste material before proceeding with separate disposalof the liquids and solids.

FIG. 22 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method 200 for emptyingthe waste handling system 10. In certain embodiments, the method 200begins at block 202 by connecting the crane 150 to the waste handlingsystem 10 at block 204. For example, the crane 150 may be connected tothe mobile vessel 12 of the waste handling system 10 via the hook 152.Next, the front end 72 of the waste handling system 10 is adjusted atblock 206. For example, the operator may lift the boom of the crane 150to raise the front end 72 of the mobile vessel 12 off of the groundplane. Moreover, in certain embodiments, the operator may decrease thelength of the lift rope to raise the front end 72 of the mobile vessel12 off of the ground plane. Furthermore, the crane boom may be adjustedat block 208. For example, the operator may extend the crane boom toincrease the boom length 162. Moreover, in certain embodiments, theoperator may retract the crane boom to decrease the boom length 162. Asdescribed above, adjustment of the front end 72 and the boom length 162generates a rotational movement about the wheel 16 of the waste handlingsystem 10, thereby achieving the desired angle of tilt 134 between themobile vessel 12 and the ground plane. The angle of tilt 134 is checkedby an operator at 210 to determine whether the angle of tilt 134 isequal to a desired angle. If the angle of tilt 134 is not equal to thedesired angle as in line 212, the front end 72 is readjusted at block206 or the crane boom is readjusted at block 208. If the angle of tilt134 is equal to the desired angle as in line 214, however, then themobile vessel 12 may be emptied via one or more valves 52 or through anoutlet in the rear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12 when the rear end door50 is open at block 216. Thereafter, the method ends at block 218. Inthis manner, the waste handling system 10 may be adjusted to achieve adesired angle of tilt to enable emptying of the mobile vessel 12 ofliquids-phase and/or solids-phase waste material. In some embodiments,lifting and emptying the mobile vessel 12 are done substantiallysimultaneously. For example, as described above with respect to FIGS.17-20, the rear end door 50 may be opened as the mobile vessel 12 islifted, allowing liquids-phase or solids-phase content to escape throughthe outlet in the rear end 48 of the mobile vessel 12.

FIG. 23 is a flow chart 300 of an embodiment for separating, processing,and disposing of waste material 100. In certain embodiments, the method300 begins at block 302 by introducing a waste material 100 having bothliquids-phase content and solids-phase content into a mobile vessel 12at block 304. As discussed in detail above, the waste material 100 maybe introduced into the mobile vessel 12 through one or more inlet 70and/or one or more port 20. At block 306, waste material 100 may betransported to an off-site waste management facility when positionedwithin the mobile vessel 12. At block 308, the waste material 100 may bedumped into a receiving vessel, such as a stationary tank, a pit, or atank truck.

After dumping the waste material 100 into the receiving vessel, thewaste material may be alternately separated or solidified and processed.At block 310, a determination may be made whether the waste material issuitable for separation. This determination may be made based on visualobservation of the waste material by an operator, or by variousinstrumentalities associated with the receiving vessel, as will bereadily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

If, at block 310, it is determined that the waste material is suitablefor separation, the method 300 may proceed to a separation process. Forexample, according to an embodiment the dumped waste material 100 may beagitated with a mechanical mixing device integrated with or positionedin the receiving vessel at block 312. After mixing, the waste material100 may be transferred to a separations plant for separation into asolids-phase content and liquids-phase content at block 314. Onceseparated, the solids-phase content of the waste material may be formedinto a solids cake and sent to a landfill for disposal at block 316. Theseparated liquids-phase content may be separately sent to an injectionwell for reuse or disposal at block 318. Thereafter, the method ends atblock 322.

Alternatively, if it is determine at block 310 that the waste materialis not suitable for separation, the method 300 may proceed to asolidification process. For example, the waste material 100 dumped intothe receiving vessel at block 308 may be processed by adding asolidifying agent to the dumped waste material 100 and agitating thewaste material 100 and solidifying agent with a mechanical mixing deviceintegrated with or positioned in the receiving vessel at block 320. Thewaste material 100 and solidifying agent may then be allowed to solidifyinto a sludge cake, for example, and disposed of. Thereafter, the methodends at block 322.

FIG. 24 illustrates a mobile vessel 12 in a raised position, in whichthe contents of the mobile vessel 12 (e.g., solids-phase waste material)are emptied into a receiving vessel, such as a pit 230. In someembodiments, the pit 230 may have one or more mechanical mixing devicesintegrated with or positioned in the pit to agitate the dumped wastematerial. In certain embodiments, the pit 230 is attached to one or morestorage tanks 232, which may also include one or more mechanical devicesintegrated therewith or positioned therein to agitate the wastematerial. From the storage tanks 232, the waste material may be sent toa treatment facility where the contents may be separated, processed, anddisposed of, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

For example, in some embodiments, all or parts of the waste material 100contents of the mobile vessel 12 may be dumped into the pit 230 or otherreceiving vessel, and a solidifying agent may be added to the dumpedwaste material 100. The solidifying agent may be mixed with the dumpedwaste material using an excavator, backhoe, or other mechanical mixingdevice, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. In someembodiments, the mechanical mixing device may be integral with the pit230 or other receiving vessel, or in other embodiments may be separate.The solid substance resulting from mixing the solidifying agent with thedumped waste material may be transferred to a dump truck, rolloff box,or other container, for example, with use of an excavator, backhoe,conveyor, or other suitable tool. The solid substance may then betransported to a landfill or other site for beneficial reuse.

In some embodiments, all or parts of the waste material 100 contents ofthe mobile vessel 12 may be dumped into the pit 230 or other receivingvessel, and mechanical agitation may be used to homogenize the wastematerial into a slurry. For example, a series or combination of intakeports, discharge ports, pumps, and mechanical stirring impellers, orother suitable tools, may be used to recirculate the waste contents toachieve homogenization. In some examples, previously processedwastewater, such as the liquids-phase content drained from mobile vessel12, may be added to the slurry as necessary to achieve desirablehandling characteristics.

In some examples, the resulting homogenized slurry may be pumped into aliquids/solids separations process, for example including anyconfiguration of agitation tanks, slope-bottom tanks, tanks for blendingthe homogenized slurry with treatment chemicals, centrifuges, filterpresses, belt presses, or other suitable tools as will be understood bya person having ordinary skill in the art. As a result of theliquids/solids separation process, the homogenized slurry may beseparated into a free liquids stream and a sludge cake, in someexamples.

In some embodiments, the resulting free liquids stream may betransported to any of a publicly owned treatment works (POTW) fordisposal via discharge; a centralized waste treatment facility fordisposal via discharge; or an underground injection facility fordisposal via injection; or any other suitable secondary waste managementfacility as will be understood by a person having ordinary skill in theart.

In some embodiments, the resulting sludge cake may be disposed ofappropriately at a landfill or landfarm, or may be used for any otherbeneficial reuse, as will be understood by a person having ordinaryskill in the art.

FIG. 25 illustrates the mobile vessel 12 undergoing a process of gravityseparation of liquids-phase content 104 of the waste material 100. Asdiscussed above, the waste material 100 is introduced into a mobilevessel 12 via the inlet 70, where solids-phase content 102 is allowed toseparate from liquids-phase content 104. A conduit 240 connects one ormore of the valves 52 to a storage tank 242 to allow for relativelyhands-free removal of the liquids-phase content 104 from the mobilevessel 12 for further reuse, further processing, or less costly disposalas liquid waste.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods toseparate waste material 100 such that the solid particles 106 present inthe waste material 100 may be removed from the mixture at a well site orother industrial waste production site for later disposal. As a result,the liquid flow from the waste material 100 may be reused at the site orotherwise disposed of at a separate disposal site. In this manner, thecost for disposing of waste materials is decreased because the amount ofsolid material for disposal may be reduced. Moreover, the waste material100 may be separated at the well site or other industrial wasteproduction site, thereby enabling larger quantities of waste to beprocessed and separated before being shipped. In certain embodiments, awaste handling system 10 includes a mobile vessel 12 for receiving thewaste material 100 via the inlet 70. As the waste material 100 travelsthrough the mobile vessel 12, the solid particles 106 settle out of thewaste material 100, and as a result, liquids-phase content that issubstantially liquid with little to no solid particles 106 may exit themobile vessel 12 through one or more valves 52. As a result, the liquidmay be reused or separately disposed. As described above, the rear enddoor 50 and valves 52 allow separated solids-phase content andliquids-phase content, respectively, to be expelled from the mobilevessel 12 and recovered. When the mobile vessel 12 is positioned in thetilted position and the rear end door 50 is open, the solid wastematerial within the mobile vessel 12 may be directed out of the vessel,thereby enabling the mobile vessel 12 to be cleaned out for reuse.Accordingly, waste material 100 may be separated at a site such that theliquids-phase and solids-phase portions may be separately handled anddisposed of to increase efficiencies and reduce costs for producers.Table 1 illustrates example dimensions and characteristics, as will beunderstood by those skilled in the art, of an embodiment of a wastehandling system 10 compared to other mechanisms or manners oftransporting waste materials, such as vacuum boxes.

TABLE 1 Feature Comparison Vacuum box Waste Handling Vessel Transportflammable liquids No Yes (DOT-407) Height × Width × Length 6′4″ × 8′2″ ×23′8″ 12′ × 8′ × 45′ Unit weight (pounds) 11,300 10,700 Power unit tareweight 1 25,000 16,700 Payload (pounds) 26,000 52,600 Payload (tons) 1326 Shell material Steel Aluminum Walkway None 12″ Wide aluminum gripstrut Spill dam None 3-With drain and valve Top manway 1-21″ dome lid3-30″ Dome lid Manway seals Neoprene Rubber Required Truck Roll-off unitAny Class 8 tractor Ports 2 4 Valves None External emergency shut offand 4″ Lights None LED running and working lights Load gauge NonePneumatic gauge side Decant ports None 3-4″ Ports at separate heightsTool box None 2-24″ × 24″ × 30″ Level indicator None 1 Internal ballfloat Vacuum capable Yes Yes

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide numerous advantages andbenefits over known systems and methods. Importantly, the payloadcapacity in the present disclosure, as shown in the table above, istwice that of a vacuum box, for example. Whereas the cost of operatingeither type of truck is roughly the same, the outbound freight componentof total waste management cost for the mobile vessel 12 according to thepresent disclosure can be half that of a vacuum box. This increasedpayload capacity reduces the number of trucks needed to transport anddispose of waste, thereby reducing emissions. The reduced number oftrucks further limits the number of drivers needed, which mayadditionally contribute to reduced operating costs.

Furthermore, the waste management system 10 offers numerous otherhandling efficiencies over the vacuum box. For example, the wastemanagement system 10 allows for a quicker time to connect and disconnecthoses or pipes to the mobile vessel 12, allows for those operations tooccur half as often, and does not require a rolloff truck in attendanceto shuttle boxes around the oil and gas well site or other industrialwaste production site, in contrast to known vacuum box arrangements.

Additionally, embodiments of the present disclosure allow for theloading of non-pumpable, landfill-ready materials. Indeed, even solidsludges may be directly placed within the mobile vessel 12 thorough oneof the multiple ports 20. For example, any one of ports 20 may be loadedoverhead by a belt conveyor system, as will be understood by thoseskilled in the art, or by an excavator, and may be utilized to carrysolid material directly into one of the ports 20, or to facilitateremoval of solid material within the mobile vessel 12. In someembodiments, substantially solid or dry waste material may be introducedinto the mobile vessel 12 so as to create an even distribution of weightin the mobile vessel 12. This even distribution of weight may optimize adistribution of weight on each of a plurality of axles associated withthe frame 14 of the mobile vessel 12, so as to enhance an ability toachieve a desired gross vehicle weight for the mobile vessel 12 and anassociated tractor 90, for example. In some examples, the desired grossvehicle weight may be a maximum legal gross weight for the mobile vessel12 and tractor 90.

In certain embodiments, the use of waste management system 10 may allowfor a payload of approximately 8-10% more than that of typicallyutilized dump trailers for hauling solid waste material. When comparedto an open-top rolloff box most frequently used for solids handling, thewaste management system 10 may provide significant advantages beyond aconsiderably higher payload. Landfill-ready solids may be produced at anoil and gas well site or other industrial waste production site byadding a solidification agent such as lime, Portland cement, or kilndust to a sludge and mixing the sludge mixture with an excavator or asimilar mechanical device. The waste management system 10 allows fortreatment and disposal of waste material without the need forsolidification according to certain embodiments, thereby avoiding thecost of a solidification agent, the cost to transport and dispose of thesolidification agent once mixed with the waste material, and the cost ofan excavator to perform the mixing. Furthermore, workers' and neighbors'particulate exposure from the drift of the solidification agent may beavoided by eliminating use of the solidification agent.

Additionally, components of the present system may be manufactured tocomply with applicable government regulations, as will be understood bythose skilled in the art, such as OSHA, the U.S. Department ofTransportation, and the like. As such, embodiments of the presentdisclosure may be utilized with oil and gas exploration wastes and otherindustries having waste material 100 for disposal.

The present application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/409,367, filed on Oct. 17, 2016;U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/440,826 filed on Dec. 30,2016; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/491,087 filed on Apr.27, 2017; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/571,515 filed on Oct.12, 2017. The full disclosure of these related applications are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The foregoing disclosure and description of the disclosed embodiments isillustrative and explanatory of the embodiments of the disclosure.Various changes in the details of the illustrated embodiments may bemade within the scope of the appended claims without departing from thetrue spirit of the disclosure. The embodiments of the present disclosureshould only be limited by the following claims and their legalequivalents.

1. A method of removing waste material from an oil and gas well site tothereby enhance payload efficiency, the method comprising: introducing awaste material into an enhanced-payload mobile vessel positioned at theoil and gas well site, the waste material constituted to includecomposites of well site waste products selected from one or more of asludge waste material, a solids-laden wastewater material, and a drywaste material; transporting the waste material when positioned in theenhanced-payload mobile vessel along roadways to an off-site wastemanagement facility; and dumping the waste material from theenhanced-payload mobile vessel by a lifting mechanism into a receivingvessel at the off-site waste management facility thereby to dispose ofthe waste material at a reduced transportation cost, the dumpingincluding: loosening one or more fasteners positioned around acircumference of a rear door of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel, suchthat the enhanced-payload mobile vessel maintains a liquid-tight sealafter the one or more fasteners are loosened but prior to dumping thewaste material; and opening the rear door of the enhanced-payload mobilevessel via a hinge positioned at a top of the enhanced-payload mobilevessel, the rear door controlled by one or more hydraulic cylinderspowered by a stationary hydraulic pump and reservoir assembly.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the receiving vessel comprises any of astationary tank, a pit, or a tank truck positioned at the off-site wastemanagement facility.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step ofintroducing the waste material into the enhanced-payload mobile vesselcomprises: introducing the waste material into the enhanced-payloadmobile vessel so as to create an even distribution of weight in theenhanced-payload mobile vessel, thereby to optimize the distribution ofweight on each of a plurality of axles associated with theenhanced-payload mobile vessel so as to enhance an ability to achieve adesired gross vehicle weight for the enhanced-payload mobile vessel andan associated tractor, wherein the enhanced-payload mobile vesselcomprises a combination of the tractor and an integrated vessel trailer,and wherein an enhanced payload of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel isgreater than 13 tons.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wastematerial is constituted of both liquids-phase content and solids-phasecontent.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: holding the wastematerial in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel for a residence timesufficient to allow portions or more of the solids-phase content tosettle out of the waste material in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel,such that the liquids-phase content is layered above the settled outsolids-phase content.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step ofdumping the waste material from the enhanced-payload mobile vesselcomprises: draining portions or more of the liquids-phase content bygravity through one or more discharge ports positioned at a rear end ofthe enhanced-payload mobile vessel into the receiving vessel, theliquids-phase content layered above the settled out solids-phasecontent; and retaining the solids-phase content in the enhanced-payloadmobile vessel separately from the drained liquids-phase content suchthat a concentrated solids-phase sludge content remains at a bottom ofthe enhanced-payload mobile vessel.
 7. The method of claim 6, furthercomprising: adding a solidifying agent to the drained liquids-phasecontent when positioned in the receiving vessel; and mixing thesolidifying agent with a mechanical mixing device integral to thereceiving vessel in order to create a solid substance.
 8. The method ofclaim 6, further comprising: draining the liquids-phase content throughthe one or more discharge ports of the enhanced-payload mobile vesselinto one or more intake ports of a secondary enhanced-payload mobilevessel, and further draining the liquids-phase content through one ormore discharge ports of the secondary enhanced-payload mobile vesselinto one or more intake ports of one or more additional enhanced-payloadmobile vessels, until the residence time sufficient to allow portions ormore of the solids-phase content to settle out of the waste material hasbeen achieved.
 9. The method of claim 6, further comprising: introducingadditional waste material into the enhanced-payload mobile vesselpositioned at the oil and gas well site; and repeating the draining,retaining, and introducing steps until the enhanced-payload mobilevessel is substantially full of the concentrated solids-phase sludgecontent and no more liquids-phase content can be drained.
 10. The methodof claim 9, further comprising: transporting the enhanced-payload mobilevessel full of concentrated solids-phase sludge content to a secondarywaste management facility to be disposed of, to thereby minimize thevolume of waste that must be transported, processed, and disposed of bya higher cost method than disposing of the waste material. 11.(canceled)
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the rear door of theenhanced-payload mobile vessel includes one or more gaskets positionedaround a circumference thereof to thereby define a gasketedcircumference of the rear door, the gasketed circumference also beingpositioned to form the liquid-tight seal with a rear end of theenhanced-payload mobile vessel by tightly clamping the rear door to therear end of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel by the one or morefasteners spaced around the circumference of the rear end of theenhanced-payload mobile vessel.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein therear door of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel is opened via the hingeby activating a controller associated with the hydraulically actuatedhinge, wherein the controller is positioned spaced-apart and away fromthe rear door of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel.
 14. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the step of dumping the waste material from theenhanced-payload mobile vessel by the lifting mechanism includes:elevating a front end of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel by use of ajack mounted under the front end of the enhanced-payload mobile vesseland extended to achieve an angle of tilt of the enhanced-payload mobilevessel with respect to a ground plane sufficient to enable portions ormore of the waste material contents of the enhanced-payload mobilevessel to slidably flow into the receiving vessel.
 15. The method ofclaim 14, wherein the jack is integrated with a tipping mechanismmounted to a tractor dedicated to tipping the enhanced-payload mobilevessel and repositioning the enhanced-payload mobile vessel within theoff-site waste management facility.
 16. The method of claim 1, whereinthe step of dumping the waste material from the enhanced-payload mobilevessel by the lifting mechanism comprises: lifting a front end of theenhanced-payload mobile vessel with an overhead crane or liftingmechanism coupled to a lug mounted atop the front end of theenhanced-payload mobile vessel until the enhanced-payload mobile vesselhas achieved an angle of tilt of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel withrespect to a ground plane sufficient to enable all or portions of thewaste material contents of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel toslidably flow into the receiving vessel.
 17. A method of removing wastematerial from an oil and gas well site to thereby enhance payloadefficiency, the method comprising: introducing a waste material into anenhanced-payload mobile vessel positioned at the oil and gas well site,the waste material constituted to include composites of well site wasteproducts selected from one or more of a sludge waste material, asolids-laden wastewater material, and a dry waste material so as toinclude both liquids-phase content and solids-phase content;transporting the waste material when positioned in the enhanced-payloadmobile vessel along roadways to an off-site waste management facility;holding the waste material in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel for aresidence time sufficient to allow portions or more of the solids-phasecontent to settle out of the waste material in the enhanced-payloadmobile vessel, such that the liquids-phase content is layered above thesettled out solids-phase content draining the liquids-phase contentthrough one or more discharge ports positioned at a rear end of theenhanced-payload mobile vessel into a receiving vessel, theliquids-phase content layered above the settled out solids-phasecontent; retaining the solids-phase content in the enhanced-payloadmobile vessel separately from the drained liquids-phase content suchthat a concentrated solids-phase sludge content remains concentrated ata bottom of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel; dumping the concentratedsolids-phase sludge content from the enhanced-payload mobile vessel by alifting mechanism into the receiving vessel at the off-site wastemanagement facility, thereby to dispose of the concentrated solids-phasesludge content and the liquids-phase content at a lower transportationcost and a lower disposal cost than a transportation cost and a disposalcost for the waste material; adding a solidifying agent to the drainedliquids-phase content when positioned in the receiving vessel; mixingthe solidifying agent with a mechanical mixing device integral to thereceiving vessel in order to create a solid substance; transferring theresulting solid substance to a transportation vehicle; and transportingthe resulting solid substance to a secondary off-site waste managementfacility. 18-19. (canceled)
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein thereceiving vessel comprises any of a stationary tank, a pit, or a tanktruck positioned at the off-site waste management facility. 21.(canceled)
 22. The method of claim 17, further comprising: draining theliquids-phase content through the one or more discharge ports of theenhanced-payload mobile vessel into one or more intake ports of asecondary enhanced-payload mobile vessel, and further draining theliquids-phase content through one or more discharge ports of thesecondary enhanced-payload mobile vessel into one or more intake portsof one or more additional enhanced-payload mobile vessels, until theresidence time sufficient to allow portions or more of the solids-phasecontent to settle out of the waste material has been achieved.
 23. Asystem for removing waste material from an oil and gas well site tothereby enhance payload efficiency, the system comprising: anenhanced-payload mobile vessel positioned at the oil and gas well siteand positioned to receive a waste material constituted to includecomposites of well site waste products selected from one or more of asludge waste material, a solids-laden wastewater material, and a drywaste material, the enhanced-payload mobile vessel including a rear doorhaving one or more fasteners positioned around a circumference of therear door, such that the enhanced-payload mobile vessel maintains awatertight seal after the one or more fasteners are loosened but priorto dumping of the waste material, and a hinge positioned at a top of therear door, one or more hydraulic controllers positioned to control therear door, and one or more stationary hydraulic pumps and reservoirassemblies to power the one or more hydraulic controllers; a tractorconnected to the enhanced-payload mobile vessel and positioned totransport the waste material when positioned in the enhanced-payloadmobile vessel along roadways to an off-site waste management facility;and a lifting mechanism positioned at the off-site waste managementfacility and positioned to facilitate dumping of the waste material fromthe enhanced-payload mobile vessel into a receiving vessel thereby toprocess, transport, and dispose of the waste material at a reducedtransportation cost.
 24. The system of claim 23, wherein the receivingvessel comprises a pit positioned at the off-site waste managementfacility.
 25. The system of claim 23, wherein the enhanced-payloadmobile vessel is positioned to receive the waste material so as tocreate an even distribution of weight in the enhanced-payload mobilevessel, thereby to optimize the distribution of weight on each of aplurality of axles associated with the enhanced-payload mobile vessel soas to enhance an ability to achieve a desired gross vehicle weight forthe enhanced-payload mobile vessel and the associated tractor, whereinthe enhanced-payload mobile vessel comprises a combination of thetractor and an integrated vessel trailer, and wherein an enhancedpayload of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel is greater than 13 tons.26. The system of claim 23, wherein the waste material is selected toinclude both liquids-phase content and solids-phase content.
 27. Thesystem of claim 26, wherein the enhanced-payload mobile vessel isfurther positioned to hold the waste material therein for a residencetime sufficient to allow portions or more of the solids-phase content tosettle out of the waste material in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel,such that the liquids-phase content is layered above the settled outsolids-phase content.
 28. (canceled)
 29. A method of waste materialdisposal, the method comprising: introducing a waste material into anenhanced-payload mobile vessel through one or more intake portspositioned at a front end of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel, thewaste material constituted to include one or more of a sludge wastematerial, a solids-laden wastewater material, and a dry waste materialso as to include both liquids-phase content and solids-phase content;transporting the waste material when positioned in the enhanced-payloadmobile vessel along roadways to an off-site waste management facility;and holding the waste material in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel fora residence time sufficient to allow portions or more of thesolids-phase content to settle out of the waste material in theenhanced-payload mobile vessel, such that the liquids-phase content islayered above the settled out solids-phase content.
 30. The method ofclaim 29, the step of dumping the waste material comprising: drainingthe liquids-phase content through one or more discharge ports positionedat a rear end of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel into a receivingvessel, the liquids-phase content layered above the settled outsolids-phase content; retaining the solids-phase content in theenhanced-payload mobile vessel separately from the drained liquids-phasecontent such that a concentrated solids-phase sludge content remainsconcentrated at a bottom of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel; anddumping the concentrated solids-phase sludge content from theenhanced-payload mobile vessel by a site-based lifting mechanism intothe receiving vessel at the off-site waste management facility, therebyto dispose of the concentrated solids-phase sludge content and theliquids-phase content at a lower transportation cost and a lowerdisposal cost than a transportation cost and a disposal cost for thewaste material.
 31. The method of claim 7, further comprising:transferring the resulting solid substance to a transportation vehicle;and transporting the resulting solid substance to a secondary off-sitewaste management facility.